Featured Post

It Has Happened, the iPhone Comes to Verizon

It’s happened. The one thing everybody has been waiting for and the one thing AT&T has been dreading, the iPhone 4 is now available on, in my opinion, the best network available, Verizon. There were a lot of naysayers out there that kept touting their babble about how the iPhone would never...

0

center>

This video came out today on Apple’s YouTube page. After it was up for only two hours, it already had 20,000 views and currently has almost 80,000. The main point to the video is to show off that they are using clean energy. They are building a 40-megawatt solar farm in China that will power all of their offices across the country, all of their offices are powered with clean energy already, and they are generating 12 million kilowatt hours of energy in Oregon using hydropower.

This is one of the most genius marketing tactics for Apple. It may not seem that significant, but there is a lot to this whole idea. Across many different developing countries, there is a huge wave of consumer consciousness that includes issues like sustainability. This is a bigger factor than ever right now. 55% of global respondents in Nielsen’s survey say that they are willing to pay more for products and services from companies that dedicate themselves to creating a positive social and environmental impact. That is an increase in 50% in 2012 and 45% in 2011. Regionally, respondents in Asia-Pacific (64%), Latin America (63%) and Middle East/Africa (63%) exceed the global average and have increased 9, 13 and 10 percentage points since 2011. So knowing that, you can see why this is such a big deal, and why the video is absolutely genius on Apple’s part. Check it out!

0

It’s way too easy to get hung up on new tech. All facts aside, can you really be mad at someone for getting pumped up on new technology. Take the iWatch for example. It seems as if this particular product has been nothing but a rumor for quite some time now. Having said that, the rumors have continuously piled up. Naturally, as rumors begin to escalate and progress, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype and start to believe it all. I’m not saying that the iWatch isn’t coming out. In fact I’d say that it is almost definite, although there’s not been any confirmation on it yet.

So where would I get an assumption like this from? Well from our good friends over in China of course!

There have been no official announcements yet, but the China Times recently reported that the device’s production is now underway. Again, it’s still not confirmed that this is what the new device will be, but it’s still pretty safe to assume that it will be an iWatch.

The production of the device is already looking pretty promising with some of what it will reportedly include. So far the reports have shown that the device will include a few SiP modules. SiP stands for “system-in-package”. These little modules can contain some pretty nifty things. Everything from DRAM, flash memory, and even a processing unit all in one. The fact that reports are saying that the new devices will be housing these is still up in the air, as everything is still speculation, but it could be entirely true. These modules are used already in some of our every day devices that we use. Everything from your MP3 playter to your iPhone include SiPs. These particular modules could eventually pave the way for a wearable computer for all we know. It’s all up in the air. Aside from the modules, however, there have been no other technical specs discussed yet.

As far as release dates go, we should expect to see the new device during the end of 2014. Apple talked of starting production for their new product during the second quarter of this year. Wouldn’t you know it, that time has come now. Up the 3 million new tech toys could be (and are more than likely) in production right now as you’re reading this. Again there is no certain answer from Apple yet, pertaining to what the “new category” of device is that they will be releasing.

About 1 in every 2 people think that this whole wearable trend is just that; a trend. Many believe that it will come to pass, as it just doesn’t seem practical. This is where the challenge for Apple is really going to start. There are already smartwatches available for the consumer market today. That being said, they aren’t really selling like hot cakes. I know that I’ve not seen anyone walking around with the new Pebble or Nike Fuel band. I haven’t even seen a Galaxy Gear yet, aside from in store.

Apple is known for pretty much turning anything with their logo on it into gold. Even so, there is no telling how well the iWatch’s reception will turn out, especially if they decide to tack on a pretty price tag as they have been known to do.Source.

0

Just because you may be fashionably late to a party doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to be the life of said party. Any time a new device comes out, especially one that is able to generate a whole new section of technology, it seems like everyone jumps on board. This is typical if companies can actually see some use coming out of the device. It all depends on how crazy the demand for the product could become. If enough companies jump on the bandwagon, you can pretty much bet on the product being quite a big deal. Take the smartwatch. Apple has had rumors about their fabled iWatch for around half a year now. Many of the other companies have already beaten Apple to the punch however.

Companies like ZTE, Samsung, and Sony have all already made their own contributions to throw into the metaphorical pot, but Apple is still lagging behind. But, as we all know Apple to be the company that they are and come out swinging, there is quite a bit to expect still.

Apple may be late to the game, but they have some plans for what they intend to do with the iWatch. Rumors have already been spreading like wildfire, but now their may be a credible source to all of the talk.

A KGI analyst, one Ming-Chi Kuo, might as well be the Apple psychic, as so many of his predictions on Apple tech have been pretty spot on. Kuo had a few predictions already set for the new device. He claims that we may expect to see 2 different sizes of the new gadget by the end of this year. Closer to the third quarter of this year actually. We might be seeing a 1.3 inch display size and a 1.5 inch display size. The display of the smartwatch has been rumored to be a flexible AMOLED screen with a sapphire covering. What does the covering mean necessarily? It just means that the device will be able to mimic the shape of your write when you put it on. It might as well be comfortable too right? Kuo also made a prediction that the battery of the device could be anywhere from 200 to 250mAh in size. Since the device is so small, it is thought that the battery will be able to power the device for about a full day. This is already quite a bit longer battery life than many of the other competitors out on the market.

The design of the watch isn’t the only thing. The functions of the watch are still being rumored as well. It seems like every smartwatch out now has some type of pedometer function to go along with it. Expect to see that with this gadget, as it will be working in tandem with an app called Healthbook on the new iOS 8 when it comes out. Obviously like its competitors, the iWatch has been rumored (to the point that it can basically be confirmed already now) to connect and sync up with your iPhone and iPad. With the way the Galaxy Gear works, it should be expected to be able to connect to your other Apple devices.

The price tag for this new toy is all over the map. That is not necessarily a good thing either, as it’s more towards the “high end” of all over the map. Price range could be in the thousands of dollars for the new smartwatch, depending on the casing and band options that Apple may offer with the new iWatch. Stay tuned for more details as they emerge.

0

Despite the hype, 2013 was actually a pretty calm and quiet year for Apple. 2014 should be a much different and bigger year for the company, who says they have big plans in the works.

During the earlier part of 2013, Apple kept dropping strong hints about new product categories and expanding on the smartphone and tablet market as well. In the last part of 2013, we did see lots of new improvements on older products, but nothing that we could really call new. So, what are these huge new plans that Apple has in store for us? Is a new invention going to turn the whole industry upside down like the original iPhone did?

The iWatch

This isn’t really what I would call “big news”, considering the rumors of this product were floating around for months before it was even officially announced that they were in production. Companies like Samsung have already put out smartwatches (and have seen them fail), so how could this be the big new invention that has Apple so excited? Well, although I think something bigger may be in store, let’s face it… Apple is the kind of company that makes sure their products are perfect before they release them, to the point that it will make people wonder why other companies even tried. When the iPhone came out, cell phones had already been out forever. It wasn’t even the first smartphone, at all. But, it changed the way we looked at phones and smartphones forever. It was so inspiring that it almost felt like cell phones never even existed before that point. Could Apple’s iWatch be the next iPhone?
New, Larger iPhone models

It’s been rumored that Apple is working on iPhones with up to 5-inch screens, and according to The Wall Street Journal, they could even be working on 6-inch iPhones. This is a tough spot for Apple to be in because other smartphone companies are putting out phones with way larger screens, and now, the screen size has become the number one complaint from iPhone users. But that problem is not so simple to fix. Apple would have to find a way for app developers to redesign their apps for use with the new phones, or find a way to program the apps to be responsive to different screen sizes. But chances are, they already have it under control.

Other expected new products

Apple Television? Neat, but hardly a contender. Moving on: There has been word on an iPad Pro coming soon. Adding the word “Air” to their last iPad seems like a hint toward things to come with newer models. But at the end of the day, consumers aren’t ready to turn to tablets for their everyday computing needs. It seems highly unlikely that this is the new and exciting product that Apple has been hinting at since April of last year, unless it ends up being some sort of super tablet that can do anything a MacBook Pro could do. That would be nuts, but it’s highly unlikely.

So, we already know about some new and exciting things to come from Apple this year, and we will have to keep our eyes peeled for what else is to come. My money on the iWatch though. It may not seem like a big deal now, but it might just change everything you thought you ever knew about watches or smart-gadgets.